Wedding Picture Books and Junior Fiction (and bridesmaids too)

Mr. Slinger has big news.

He’s getting married.

Married!

Lilly has big plans.

She’s going to be the flower girl.

(Lilly has always wanted to be a flower girl.

Even more than a surgeon or a diva or a hairdresser.)

The Podcast "Your Kid's Next Read" (an Australian show) shared a list of books about weddings in a recent episode because one of the presenters has just been married.  This got me thinking. I knew my friend at Kinderbookswitheverything had covered this topic. Also, the tiny granddaughter of another friend is about to be the flower girl at her parent's wedding. I previously gifted her the Kevin Henkes book at the top of this post.

I decided to search out wedding picture books and junior novels and compile them into a Pinterest. Megan Daley mentions Lissie Nonsense by Jan Ormerod. I didn't remember that weddings were a major theme of this book. Here is the Kirkus star review of Lizzie Nonsense. I plan to find this one in a library next week and check out the reference to weddings. I will write a blog post about Lizzie Nonsense over the coming days. 

Here are the covers of some of my own favourites including many that sadly are now long out of print but which could/should be held in many school or public libraries.

The Pig's Wedding is a charming story describing the preparation and celebration of the marriage of two pigs, Porker and Curlytail. As the bride and groom, and the guests, are without proper attire, Porker comes up with the brilliant idea of painting clothing on each and every one of them. Everyone has a wonderful time at the wedding celebration, until it begins to rain.  The rain washes the painted clothing off of all them!  Again, Porker has a brainstorm. He tells his guests to follow him as he runs toward a huge mud puddle.  They all toss their pink pig bodies into the mud and have a glorious time! Finally, with the wedding celebration over, Porker carries his bride into their new home--and paints the furnishings all over the stable walls!  The ingenious pig and his wife live happily ever after.

It was such a hot summer. The sky was deep blue and the sun never faltered. All along Brambly Hedge, the mice did their best to keep cool. Poppy Eyebright sought refuge in the mossy shadows of the mill wheel; Dusty Dogwood took to walking by the banks of the cooling stream. Dusty and Poppy spent more and more time together, so no one was at all surprised when they announced their engagement. They decided on a very unusual setting for the wedding ceremony, but even they didn’t realise just how unusual it was prove to be!

Here is a review

I have previously talked about this terrific book series - Aussie Nibbles - but until I listened to the podcast I had forgotten about this one. You could also look for another older junior series - Solo and the book Make me the Flowergirl by Pamela Freeman.

Moon Rabbit by Natalie Russell

Moon Rabbit is a little like the famous story of Town Mouse and Country Mouse. Little Rabbit lives in the city. Her days go well as she enjoys all the sights and sounds and shops of the city but when evening comes she feels a little lonely. One day she goes to the park and hears some sweet music. She falls asleep in the sunshine but when she wakes up it is nighttime. She can still hear the music so she picks up her book and follows the sound. She is surprised to meet another rabbit. A brown rabbit. And he is playing a guitar. The pair quickly form a sweet friendship and enjoy their days together but when Little Rabbit looks back over at the city she feels homesick. The brown rabbit and white rabbit say goodbye and Little Rabbit heads back to the city but there is the promise that one day soon Brown Rabbit will come for a visit. Here is book two!

This story is fairly simple but it is sure to appeal to a preschool aged child. What really stood out of me when I saw it at a recent charity book sale were the scrumptious illustrations. The Kirkus reviewer said exactly the same words:

What really stands out are the gentle black-lined drawings resting comfortably in a patchwork of printed images. Vintage-looking patterns decorate shades, vases, even trees and create an experience as pleasant as tea and a scone. Kirkus

My copy of Moon Rabbit was published in 2011 (paperback edition) so it is long out of print. I love the way the cover has silver varnished letters and the way the moon looks like a patchwork. The cherry blossoms on the cover and end papers give this book a Japanese feel although Natale Russell lives in Dundee Scotland. Natalie Russell is also the illustrator of a series of book by Kobi Yamada - Because I had a teacher; Because of you, Mom; and Because of you, Dad. 

Here are some other books by Natalie Russell.

Mr George Baker by Amy Hest illustrated by Jon J Muth

"See this man? This one here, sitting on the porch?

That's Mr George Baker, and he's a hundred years old, no kidding."

Harry sits with Mr George Baker - it is clear this is a daily routine.

"See his pants, all baggy, baggy, baggy? What holds them up - suspenders!"

Mr George Baker is good a tying shoelaces but strangely he also has a book bag (a school bag) just like the one young Harry is carrying. There is a book inside his bag, but Mr George Baker cannot read. He is indeed a hundred years old, but he never learned how to read. Now we know where these friends are going. 

Finally, the yellow school bus arrives. There are twenty-two kids on the bus, but George always sits with Harry. Learning to read is hard but there is a gentle assurance at the end of this book that both of them will conquer this important skill with patience and perseverance. You might also like to listen to some gentle jazz tracks after reading this book - Mr George was once a fine jazz drummer and there is a lovely scene in this book where we see him dancing with his wife. 

Publisher blurb: George Baker and Harry don’t seem the likeliest of friends. Yet, sitting side by side on George’s porch, waiting for the school bus to come, the two have plenty in common, this hundred-year-old musician with the crookedy fingers going tappidy on his knees and the young schoolboy whose shoelaces always need tying. They’re both learning to read, which is hard — but what’s easy is the warm friendship they share. In an inspired pairing, a best-selling author and illustrator pay tribute to the power of language and intergenerational bonds.

I have been SO privileged to visit one of the best school libraries in an independent school here in Sydney over the last 8 years (minus those covid years) and every week I have been able to borrow new books, Australian books, picture books, translated picture books, books from Canada, books from USA, books from UK, books I will always cherish. Along the way this reading journey has led me to discover hundreds of new authors and even better hundreds of fantastic illustrators from all corners of the world. Sadly, my days of visiting this treasure trove may now be ending. Finding Mr George Baker is a great example of the books I have found in this library, and it is also a reminder that there were SO many more books I didn't discover. And it shows the joy that comes from discovering a wonderful book. Oh and yes this confirms why libraries are SO important as places that hold all kinds of books - old and new - because I am sure you have guessed Mr George Baker is long out of print. It was published in 2004 with a paperback edition in 2007. Here is the Kirkus review.

The Teacher-Librarian was curating a 'bulk loan' for the four Grade One classes in this school. A 'bulk loan' is the loan of piles of books on a theme or class topic. In this case their focus was/is a topic I call 'Life in the Olden days' with particular reference to changes to our homes, way of life, toys and clothing. As a library volunteer, I used the library catalogue (which is another excellent resource in this library) to hunt out and fill boxes with books on this topic. Along the way the Teacher-Librarian and I were talking about these two books which I had seen previously and then she mentioned Mr George Baker. 

I often cry over books and television advertisements and when little children sing at a school assembly but it is rare for me to cry over a picture book - Mr George Baker made me cry. It is a book to love and to read slowly and a book with the most beautiful illustrations. Amy Hest also made me cry over these middle grade books:

The Summer we found the baby

Remembering Mrs Rossi

Summer Birds by Margarita Engle illustrated by Julie Paschkis

It is International Women's Day - time to celebrate women in Science. I often think about this book Summer Birds and then I searched my blog the other day and realised I hadn't actually talked about it here. Unfortunately, Summer Birds was published in 2010 so you may have to hunt out a copy in a library.

Reading this book several years ago was a revelation. People used to think butterflies came out of the mud in the summer - like magic. Maria Merian, from a very young age, was a curious girl. She collected butterflies and caterpillars but she had to do this in secret because in the 1650s she could have been accused of witchcraft.

Maria observed that caterpillars come from eggs. These are eggs laid by summer birds (butterflies). Caterpillars eat leaves and grow bigger and bigger. Eventually the caterpillars spin cocoons. Then comes the complex part. Inside the cocoon, while they rest, the caterpillars turn into butterflies and then they come out of their cocoon ready to fly and sip nectar. Maria also noticed a change like this with frogs and tadpoles. 

"When people understand the life cycles of creatures that change forms, they will stop calling small animals evil. They will learn, as I have, by seeing a wingless caterpillar turn into a flying summer bird."

About Maria Merian (1647 - 1717) born in Frankfurt, Germany died in Amsterdam:

"At the age of thirteen, Maria was well on her way to disproving the ancient theory (that butterflies came from mud). By careful observation she discovered that metamorphosis is natural, not supernatural. There was no witchcraft involved. Beginning with silkworms brought from Asia by a merchant, she watched the slow process of change, recording every detail in her notes and sketches ... Today as a result of Maria Sibylla Merian's careful studies, we know that butterflies, moths, and frogs do not spring from mud."

See more images of her work here

In 1705 she published Metamorphosis insectorum Surinamensium (“The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname”). Arguably the most important work of her career, it included some 60 engravings illustrating the different stages of development that she had observed in Suriname’s insects. Similar to her caterpillar book, Metamorphosis depicted the insects on and around their host plants and included text describing each stage of development. The book was one of the first illustrated accounts of the natural history of Suriname. Britannica

Read more and see her art here:

Botanical art and artists

British Museum

Natural History Museum

Royal Society video (4 minutes)

The Conversation (Background reading for teachers)

Here is another book about Maria Merian written for children:

Perhaps you have some books from the Little People Big Dreams series in your library. I would love to see a book in this series about Maria Merian. Here are some other women scientists to explore:

Using Summer Birds as a jumping off point I highly recommend the verse novels written by Margarita Engle. AND every library should have one or two books illustrated by Julie Paschkis - her art is incredibly special.

Singing with Elephants

Books illustrated by Julie Paschkis

A House in the Woods by Inga Moore

Two little pigs build their houses in the woods. Sadly, after a day of exploring, they return to find Bear has moved into one house and it is wrecked and Moose has moved into the other house and that one is wrecked too. This all means the two pigs and Bear and Moose have nowhere to live. Then Moose suggests they could work together and build one big and perfect house for all of them. Well yes they could attempt this project but really they need some experts 

"so Moose called the Beavers on the telephone ... "

The Beavers are happy to help but in exchange they want peanut butter sandwiches. This is agreed and so the construction begins. 

"and by tea time the roof was on. (The lunch and tea times were on different days of course. Beavers are fast, but not that fast.)"

The sweet happy ending and those six plates of peanut butter sandwiches make this a perfect book to read aloud to your preschool or Kindergarten group.

Betsy Bird says: Now I have read A House in the Woods by Inga Moore and I can already tell you that twenty or thirty or forty years from now a man or woman will be asked what their favorite picture book was as a child and they will describe the images here. Maybe they won’t remember the exact title. Maybe they’ll blank on the author’s name. But what they won’t forget is the feeling of perfect contentment and peace brought about through Moore’s combination of image and text. This is the picture book equivalent of a warm, soothing bubble bath.

When you open this book make sure you take time to linger over the end papers. And if uou read the review by Betsy Bird you will be alerted to look for some other tiny details. 

A House in the Woods is an old book and of course it is sadly now out of print but you might be lucky and find a copy in a library. A House in the Woods is a NSW Premier's Reading Challenge book K-2 [24439].

Companion books:

Waiting for Winter

A House for Wombats

Decades ago I saw my first book illustrated by Inga Moore and I fell in love with her art style.

The Vegetable Thieves

In my former libraries I had copies of Aktil's Big Swim and Aktil's Bicycle Ride. Other books illustrated by Inga Moore are:

Six Dinner Sid

Here is a full list of books illustrated and written by Inga Moore:

• Aktil's Big Swim (Oxford University Press, 1980)
• Aktil's Rescue (Oxford University Press, 1982)
• The Vegetable Thieves (Andersen Press Ltd, 1983; Viking Press, 1984, ISBN 9780670743803)
• A Big Day for Little Jack (1984)
• The Truffle Hunter (Andersen Press Ltd, 1985)
• Fifty Red Night-caps (Walker, 1988, ISBN 9780744517835)
• Rose and the Nightingale (London: Andersen Press, 1988)
• The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (Prentice Hall, 1989)
• Six-Dinner Sid (Simon & Schuster, 1990, ISBN 9780750003049)
• Oh, Little Jack (1992)
• The Little Apple Tree (1994)
• Six Dinner Sid: A Highland Adventure (2010)
• A House in the Woods (Candlewick Press, 2011)
• Captain Cat (Walker Books, 2012, ISBN 9781406337303)
• Moose's Book Bus (Candlewick Press, 2021)

You might also look for her editions of Wind in the Willows; The Secret Garden; Anne of Green Gables and The Reluctant Dragon. For a short time Inga Moore lived in Australia but she now lives in the UK. 

Anno's Alphabet by Mitsumasa Anno

Look at the cover - see how the '?' is made from wood. Under the dust jacket there is a close image of the wood and then the first page has a huge tree. 

Image under the front dust jacket. 

Turn the page and an axe has cut down the tree. Then we see a mechanical device cutting the wood into the shape of a book. You can see the title page below with an open book (made from that same piece of wood). 

As you would expect Anno adds so much to his alphabet book and it is far from simple. Perhaps you have seen his visual tricks in books like Topsy Turvies; Anno's Mysterious Multiplying Jar; and Anno's Upside Downers. The sophistication of those images and the ones in this book make me suggest this alphabet book will probably appeal more to adults or art students.

Now for something surprising. I was quite shocked by the G page. G is for gun and I expected to read some criticism of this, but I didn't find any. It is a pop gun with a cork but the gun does look quite scary to my eye. 

 

Images from Impossible World

I did enjoy the pages with L is for lock; M is for mirror and map; O is for orange oil paint; R is for rocking horse and T is for typewriter. I wonder if Mitsumasa Anno ever actually saw a real Kangaroo. Oh and as with all Alphabet books it is fun to see how they interpret X and Z. 

Handsomely designed and produced, with graceful leafy borders, carefully rendered pictures and, facing them, woodgrain upper case letters that seem to have been lovingly hand carved, this looks like the beautiful sort of book that wins prizes for graphic excellence. And so it is. But you can't expect the creator of Topsy-Turvies (KR, 1970) and Upside-Downers (KR, 1971) to let it go at that, and if you take another look you'll notice the peculiarity of the letters, which resemble, variously, Escher's impossible fork, a partial Mobius strip, and other inconceivable three-dimensional illusions. Kirkus Star review

There's a small street library near my home and I regularly walk past and look inside. I was very surprised to see Anno's Alphabet yesterday. This book was published in 1974 and the copy I found was a 1980 reprint. Amazingly it is in good condition with a dust jacket.

Here is a list of the words used for A to Z:

Mitsumasa Anno (1926 – 2020) was a Japanese illustrator and writer of children's books, known best for picture books with few or no words. He received the international Hans Christian Andersen Medal in 1984. Anno's Alphabet was an ALA Notable Children's Book and received the 1975 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award.

Two years ago Dr Robin Morrow and I explored Alphabet Books as a project for our IBBY Australia members so I am always on the hunt for more examples. You can see our video (13 minutes) here. We were just learning how to make these videos - sorry the name label on the narrator is incorrect. Our latest video for IBBY Australia members explores the topic "One poem in a Picture Book".  I was excited to see Anno's Alphabet was originally purchased from The Children's Bookshop in Beecroft - the shop originally owned by Dr Robin Morrow. It cost AUS$14.95. 

The Twin Giants by Dick King Smith illustrated by Mini Grey

This story begins on Mountain Number One.

"Once upon a time there lived two brother giants. Twin brothers, in fact, something that's rare among giants. When the first one was born, his giant father looked at the huge baby and said 'Isn't be e-nor-mous!' And when the second one arrived, his giant mother looked at the huge baby and said 'There's a-lot-ov-im!'"

This is how the boys were given their names - Lottavim (Lot) and Normus (Norm). The twins were best friends and alike in every way except when it came to food. Lottavin liked meat while Normus liked vegetables. After a wonderful childhood the boys finally reached their full height of eighteen feet. 

"It's about time I found a wife." They both said.

Now we move to Mountain Number Two and Mountain Number Three.

Lot goes to Mountain Two where he meets a giantess but sadly she is a vegetarian. On Mountain Three Norm also meets a giantess but she is a meat eater. The boys rush to swap places but because they look completely alike both giantesses say NO. 

Sadly they trudge onto Mountain Seven.

They do not want to fight over finding a wife so they head off to different sides of the mountain. Lot finds a beautiful giantess.

"She was almost as tall has him ... and her hair was corn-coloured and her eyes sea blue and her teeth pearly white. Lottavim stared at her dumbstruck". 

Georgina agrees to be his wife but what about Norm. When he sees Georgina he falls totally in love too.  Now we have a real problem. Two giants and one giantess. How can this be resolved? I am sure the happy ending will totally surprise and delight you. 

The Twin Giants will be treasured for years. It's perfect for reading to children, reading together, and then to read alone. The story, the language, everything, are perfectly pitched, and will never feel too babyish or too grown up. There's a gentle level of humour throughout (best summed up by the names of the giants), which puts a smile on everyone's face. It's a warm, cosy, and lovely book. You'd have to have a heart of stone not to love every last page of it. Highly recommended. The Book Bag

The Twin Giants was first published in 2007 so sadly it is long out of print, but you might find a copy in a library. It has been issued with three different covers. Listen to an audio sample here. I used to teach a unit of work to my Grade 4 groups about conflict resolution - this book would be a perfect one for that topic. 

Dick King-Smith served in the Grenadier Guards during the Second World War and afterwards spent twenty years as a farmer in Gloucestershire, the county of his birth. Many of his stories are inspired by his farming experiences. He wrote a great number of children's books, including The Sheep-Pig (winner of the Guardian Award and filmed as Babe), Harry's Mad, The Hodgeheg, Martin's Mice, The Invisible Dog, The Queen's Nose and The Crowstarver. At the British Book Awards in 1991 he was voted Children's Author of the Year. In 2009 he was made OBE for services to children's literature. Dick King-Smith died in 2011 at the age of eighty-eight. Booktrust

Ruby the Christmas Donkey by Mirabel Cecil illustrated by Christina Gascoigne

"The little animals were usually fast asleep now, but they could not rest while their old friend Ruby was so unhappy. They decided that since she could not make a warm winter coat for herself, they would make one for her."

This is a deeply poignant story about an old donkey who spends her summers giving rides to children at the beach but now it is winter. It is bitterly cold and usually Ruby and the other donkey named Scarlett are able to grow a warmer coat as they spend winter in a farm paddock but this year Ruby just feels too old to grow her coat. The wild animals are deeply concerned and so they weave Ruby a beautiful coat from various forest materials.

When the neighborhood children come to select donkey for their Nativity play they see Ruby in her magical coat. She looks perfect for the play and so she is led away to be the star of the show with the promise of a happy but not specified happy ending. 

Ruby's friends think her as precious as the gem she's named after in this deft tale of generosity, compassion and love. An aging donkey no longer able to grow a warm winter coat, Ruby faces her last days in icy misery. But the donkey's woodland pals literally give of themselves to weave Ruby a warm, colorful coat. To boot, her newly stylish appearance earns her a starring role in the Christmas pageant. Chipper animals rendered in soft, earth-toned watercolors, brighten the stark snowy landscape. Publisher's Weekly

Here is the hardcover edition:

This book is from 1980 and so it is long out of print. I picked up a copy at a charity book sale in 2019 for just AUS$1. I have seen a new first edition copy of Ruby the Christmas Donkey is for sale for US$65. I haven't been able to find out very much about the illustrator Christina Gascoigne except that she and Mirabel Cecil were neighbors in Norfolk UK. Mirabel Cecil died aged 80 in 2024.  Here is another of their books: 

Here in Australia it is the end of the school year and many school libraries take the opportunity to 'weed' or cull their book collections. Of course, this is necessary, but I would hope that the staff especially the teacher-librarians involved in this process might take the time to read the picture books they think need culling. A tiny insignificant book like this could easily be culled but that should not happen. This is a sweetly emotional story about kindness, empathy and Christmas with soft colour pencil illustrations. I do hope you can find a copy in your local or school library and while it might be too late this year perhaps you can share it next Christmas.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas illustrated by Matt Tavares

I picked this book up at a recent charity book sale. I only paid $1 but this book now retails for over AUS$43. I have seen many editions of The Night Before Christmas which is attributed to Clement Moore but this one caught my eye because as the Kirkus review says:

Tavares provides monochromatic pencil illustrations with old-fashioned details and a period setting complementary with the poem’s original period, but his sophisticated perspectives and cinematic lighting pull the whole into the modern era. ... The moody illustrations suggest the drama and excitement of the magical night in an unusual way.

Here is the newer edition:

Read more here on Matt Tavares web page

I previously talked about this book by illustrated by Matt Tavares:

Dasher

Books written and illustrated by Matt Tavares

Zachary's Ball, Candlewick, 2000

Oliver's Game, Candlewick, 2004

Mudball, Candlewick, 2005

Henry Aaron's Dream, Candlewick, 2010

There Goes Ted Williams, Candlewick, 2012

Becoming Babe Ruth, Candlewick, 2013

Growing Up Pedro, Candlewick, 2015

Crossing Niagara, Candlewick, 2016

Red & Lulu, Candlewick, 2017

Dasher, Candlewick, 2019

Hoops, Candlewick, 2023

Dasher Can't Wait For Christmas, Candlewick, 2023

Books illustrated by Matt Tavares

'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Anonymous, Candlewick 2002

Jack and the Beanstalk, E. Nesbit, Candlewick, 2006

Iron Hans, retold by Stephen Mitchell, Candlewick, 2007

Lady Liberty: A Biography, Doreen Rappaport, Candlewick, 2008

The Gingerbread Pirates, Kristin Kladstrup, Candlewick, 2009

Jack's Path of Courage, Doreen Rappaport, Disney, 2010

Over the River and Through the Wood, L. Maria Child, Candlewick, 2011

Helen's Big World, Doreen Rappaport, Disney, 2012

Jubilee!, Alicia Potter, Candlewick, 2014

Lighter Than Air, Candlewick, 2017

A Ben of All Trades, Michael J. Rosen, Candlewick, 2020

Twenty-One Steps, Jeff Gottesfeld, Candlewick, 2021

The Shape of Things, Dean Robbins, Knopf, 2024